Bilal Coulibaly’s path to the pros
Born in Saint-Cloud, France, Coulibaly grew up in Courbevoie, where he started playing basketball for Courbevoie Sport Basket at the age of 10. Initially interested in football, he turned to basketball when his local team ran out of roster spots and never looked back. In Courbevoie, he began honing his skills under his first mentor and head coach, Manu De Carvalho.
At the age of 13, Coulibaly joined the youth team of Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92, where he continued to develop his skills until a major growth spurt changed his career path. Between the ages of 15 and 17, during the COVID lockdown in France, he grew 20 centimeters from 1.68 m to 1.90 m. Since he did not play competitive basketball during this time, Coulibaly was able to adapt to his new-found size and find his rhythm.
After his growth spurt, he was a different player, something Mets head coach Vincent Collet quickly realized. Coulibaly began playing in the U21 team in the 2021 season, where he dominated. He began the 2022-23 season still in the U21, but after averaging 21.9 points, 2.6 steals and 1.2 blocks per game in the LNB Espoirs competition, he was promoted to the senior team, where he joined players like Wembanyama.
This wasn’t the first time Coulibaly and Wembanyama had been teammates, as the duo had won the French U13 championship together in 2017. Reunited, the two showed great chemistry on the court while their NBA draft value skyrocketed. As scouts traveled to see Wembanyama and his unique talent, Coulibaly still found a way to stand out with defensive prowess and obvious potential on offense.
“He’s our X-factor,” Wembanyama said of Coulibaly when the duo played for the Mets. “He’s an all-around weapon, he can throw a poster at a player and block him on the next play. Players constantly underestimate him because he’s young… They try a layup, think they’re safe, and get annihilated. Every game he does something crazy. I think he’s the player I look for the most on the court.”
That season, he averaged 5.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.8 steals in just over 18 minutes per game. However, his statistics did not reflect his potential. The Washington Wizards agreed and selected the then 18-year-old with the 7th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
“He has a rare blend of youth, outstanding athleticism, speed and the ability to continue to handle, pass and defend the ball at a high level. He is a two-way player who we have a lot of confidence in and for those reasons we were able to target him,” Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said after the draft.
